The Power of Storytelling in an Interview

You know the drill when it comes to interviewing for the job. You dress professionally, bring your resume, prepare a few questions of your own to ask, and answer the questions about your experience. But could this format be missing a spark that could change the entire course of the conversation for the better. Storytelling is an important part of human interaction. It is the way we connect with one another. And experts are finding that telling your story, rather than just answering questions, can give you the advantage that you need to be hired. Before you approach your next interview in a clinical fashion, consider adding these storytelling techniques to your tool belt to impress the interviewer and land the job.

Connect your experience to the company. To really connect with the hiring manager, make sure that your answers are specific to their business and industry. When you remain generic, you aren’t able to draw them into your story. Make it personal so you can feel that connection strengthening.

Demonstrate your excitement about the future. You also want to demonstrate enthusiasm. But not just about the prospect of working. Rather, you want to be excited about the prospect of working for them specifically. You want to weave your experience into the possibilities for the future with their company.

Communicate that this is your first and best choice. As a job seeker, you’re probably looking at a variety of options and sending your resume out to multiple companies. A hiring manager knows, this, but you don’t have to be explicit about it. Let them know that this job is your first and favorite choice. Show this by researching the company and imagining yourself already working there.

Be personal with your anecdotes. When you’re talking about what you’ve done, don’t be either too generic or too technical. Share the real stories of the day to day work you’ve done in the past. Be personal, but not inappropriate. You want to make yourself more relatable, and you want your story to be dynamic.

Provide your story in narrative form to engage. Finally, when you’re asked to describe your experience or how you handled a specific situation, put it together as a story. Tell it with a hook. Weave it as a narrative, which will engage your listener. Look for active listening to see how well your story is connecting and take advantage of that.